How miles is a decathlon?

Answer 1

The athletes in a decathlon only run about a mile and a half (including some runways in field events). It is not an event about long distance running (that would be a marathon), but about a combination of skills. Sprinting (100m), long and high jumping, throwing shot put, discus and javelin, long sprinting (400m), hurdling (110H), pole vault and finally they finish with a 1500 m. Above the skills it takes to do a decathlon, it is an extraordinary athlete to develop a body that can both run fast, jupm, throw weights and do the endurance of a 1500. Usually the 1500 is the event they train the least for and it shows. As the points are tallied over the first 9 events, many just slog through the 1500 trying to finish. Occasionally they have to run a competitive 1500 which either shows their true conditioning or reveals the lack of it.